The Wild Women Quilters

Hello Everyone,

Here they are, the Wild Women.....the women who come to my Sew'n Wild Oaks drop-in class the 2nd Tuesday of every month at In Between Stitches.  You've seen their projects, now you get to see them, (minus Kay who joined us a little later.)

I moved the meeting to my house so I could fix them an appreciation brunch with the help of my sister Gail. We didn't do any sewing, only chatting, eating, sharing and more eating.  I'll get all of the recipes together and post them of the blog.  This is the peach-amaretto bread pudding recipe that is already posted under the recipe tab.

We had a sausage and egg dish, hash brown casserole, fruit salad, shortbread, and orange rolls. 

Gail's shortbread just melts in your mouth.  This is our grandmother's recipe.

We had a little show and tell started off by my sister Gail.  She is holding up a small doll quilt that our shortbread-making maternal grandmother made over 60 years ago.  We each have one of her little quilts and this started me on my quilting journey.

 

Cindy is next with a beautiful tablerunner.

 

Here's a beautiful quilt she got to keep because the couple that she made it for divorced before she had a chance to give it to them.  I guess that's good news, bad news.....but she now has a wonderful quilt for herself.

Kathy got all of her borders and corner baskets on her Party in the Garden quilt.  It's gorgeous!  Kathy made the tiniest hexagons - 1/4" paper pieces for the flowers in her baskets.

Next is Louise with her completed Happy Owl-O-Ween quilt.  Just too cute!

Louise made a dragon quilt from an Alethea Ballard pattern.  It was such a big hit, that a former co-worker asked if she would make another one for their grandchild.

Last but not least her chair quilt with so much detail all reminiscent of her father-in-law.  This is also an Alethea Ballard pattern and a class at the shop.

 

Carol is a fan of Jo Morton's small quilts. Such precision in all the geese and pinwheels!  Gail and Kay are giving all the 'points' a close inspection.  Carol wrapped her quilt around a large, pink noodle used for swimming.  Great idea.

This is a Sandy Klop pattern.  It is a wonderful, Christmas mystery quilt that Carol made during a retreat.

 

Isabelle and Paula are holding up Paula's round robin quilt.  It's hard to see the herringbone border in this picture.  Take my word for it that it was pretty amazing.

Barbara brought a finished Chelsea Cottage by Blackbird Designs.  This was Barbara's first applique quilt and it was beautiful.  She said she re-stitched the center 7 times!  The quilt and fabric selection was just perfect.

There you have it.  A snapshot of My Girls....my Wild Women.  I couldn't ask for a nicer group of ladies that have become my friends over the past four years.  I appreciate them all, their warmth, their sense of humor, their creativity, just all-round good people with a generous heart and spirt.  I appreciate and adore all of you!

This brunch explains part of my absence from blogland.  My house hasn't been this clean since 1987!  It's back to making Christmas presents and working on Christmas cards this week. Have a great week everyone.

Soon,
Lynn

Butterscotch Baskets

Hello Everyone,

I finished the last basket yesterday for Butterscotch Baskets.

Then I stitched all of the blocks together and this is what I have so far.  I'm loving this quilt and I'm so glad that I made it larger.  By the time I get the borders on, it will fit nicely on a queen-size bed.

The remaining 16 blocks are made and need to be sewn together into squares of four, with the little red square in the center. Each cluster of four stars ends up with twenty different fabrics in them. I love it!  This gives me twenty opportunities to add more color through little pieces of scraps. I haven't counted the number of fabrics I used, but I'll bet it is over 200 different fabrics.  Now that's a scrappy quilt! Then I need to make 4 more setting triangle sections with the pinwheel and put a border on her. That is all going to have to wait until after Christmas.

In Between Stitches has a Preview Party three times a year......and today is the day at The Purple Orchid.  I'll have two completed quilts on display and one unfinished flimsy.   What is a Preview Party?  I'm so glad you asked.  Well, all of the instructors at In Between Stitches say a few words about our quilts and the classes that we will be teaching from January through April.  The theme is Toyland, and all of the attendees bring a toy to donate to Toys for Tots.  Also, half of the proceeds from the $10 fee goes directly to Toys for Tots.  In addition to that, there will be a catered lunch!  This is the hottest ticket in town and it sold out several weeks ago.

I'm off to start my fun day.  I'll post pictures of the party tomorrow.....or Tuesday......or Wednesday..............

Soon,
Lynn

Christmas Quilt Along - Post #1

Hello Everyone,

It's that time again.....the last Christmas Quilt Along of the year.  Head on over to Quilt Sue's and you can see what Christmas projects we have been working on during the year.

Starting tomorrow you will be able to vote for your favorite project.  There are going to be some beautiful quilted treasures underneath some Christmas trees this year!

 I'll be back later today with an update on Butterscotch Baskets.

Soon,
Lynn

Catching Up

Hello Everyone,

 

There are some major events coming along in the next few days that I'm preparing for......the Preview Party this Sunday and a brunch at the house next week.....and a visit from Santa the week before Christmas for all the little ones in the family. (I have been known to sit on Santa's lap too!)

 

I'm dividing my time by devoting four hours in the morning to housecleaning and decorating.  The afternoons I'm in my quilt room. With all this activity, it adds a whole new meaning to the phrase, "I'd rather be quilting!"

 

I'm back to working on more blocks for Butterscotch Baskets.  Only 3/4 of a flimsy will be ready for Sunday....oh well.  

This is what I put together yesterday, plus five more blocks are cut and ready to be sewn.

Here are a few pictures of my decorating efforts.  This quilt is called Christmas Windows by Brandywine Designs. This has been one of my favorite quilts for Christmas.

Santa and Mrs. Claus are in "their" spot in the bay window.  I think I need to give their joints a shot of oil from the old oil can....just like the Tin Woodsman in the Wizard of Oz.  They are starting to creak as Santa paints and Mrs. Claus moves her presents.  Believe me, I know the feeling of the need to oil my old joints!

The twins finished the Christmas Village on Wednesday.  This has become a wiring nightmare.  I'm totally maxed out on the number of houses I can squeeze into the pie safe.

I'd like to stay in this B & B!  The girls did such a great job with the village.  They spend hours on it.  Then, every time they come over before Christmas, they move all the people around......again.  They feel like they are playing house and they each become a character in the scene.

This is my favorite.....the quilt and pie shop.  I should talk to the owners of In Between Stitches about selling pies down at the shop.  Don't you think that's a great idea! The customers could come in to shop and have a cup of coffee and a piece of pie at the same time.  I think I'm on to something.

 

I'll leave you this morning with a picture of the tree.....a plaid Christmas tree......of course!

 



Gotta scoot, my first four hour house cleaning/decorating shift begins right after breakfast.

Soon,
Lynn

Holiday Treats Table Runner

Hello Everyone,

 

I'm sorry that I left you for a few days without posting, life has been busy!  I haven't stepped foot in my sewing room until yesterday, when I picked up all of my supplies to teach Holiday Treats Table Runner at In Between Stitches.

 



Nancy has a good start on her presents.  Aren't they fun!  She is going to make 12 packages, 6 for each side of the runner.  She has all of the rest of her fabrics paired together by boxes and bows and is ready to cut and sew.

 



Rose has her two plates ready just waiting for the little Gingerbread Men. She brought in a darling collection of Christmas fabrics that I'd not seen before.  So cute!  Her stripes line up perfectly.

Susan had so much fun making her presents.  She was fussy cutting her bows and had a great time.

Mary Jane is making a table runner for all occasions.  Great idea!  She is totally committed to utilizing fabric from her stash and I applaud that.  This pattern is a good one to pull your scraps together, find a unifying background, and you are good to go.

 

In my last post I mentioned using your bobbin hook when you set your machine to the blanket stitch setting.  This changes the tension just slightly and makes a nice stitch as you go around the little bows.  Not all sewing machines come with a bobbin hook.  Only two of us in the class had one.

Nancy took my Nostalgic Christmas pillow class and she brought in one finished pillow and one finished pillow top to share.  They were gorgeous!  This one is going to be an unwrapped gift at a holiday party.  I'll bet the people will be fighting over this one and it will get passed around several times.  Some lucky person will end up with it in the end.

 

The perfect flange!  I love it.

 



So today, my list in a long one.  It is so extensive that I'm enlisting the help of my 10-year-old twin granddaughters.  They get out of school early on Wednesday so they are going to help me decorate.  About three years ago, they started the tradition of helping me put my Christmas house scene up in my pie safe.  The pie safe normally looks like this.....full of cookbooks.  The girls will transform it into a Christmas village by the end of today.  They will arrange and re-arrange the whole little town while the Christmas music plays in the background.  They started asking me in August if they could work on the Christmas village......so they are more than ready to help me today. 

All of us enjoyed the Christmas music at the shop yesterday.  I heard the girls humming along and Susan threw in an occasional whistle! Put on the Christmas music and get into the spirit of the season as you go about your day.

Soon,
Lynn

Moving Forward

 

Hello Everyone,

 

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your input on the size of the Butterscotch Basket quilt.  You have spoken, and I have listened.....I am going to make a bed-sized quilt, not a square quilt.  I started making more baskets immediately!

 

Then I started making more pinwheels and setting triangles.

I had to switch gears and make some little presents.  My daughter-in-law tells me every Christmas that she is the ONLY Wilder without a Holiday Treats Table runner.

I'm teaching this class on Tuesday at In Between Stitches, so I started getting everything ready for class.  One present led to another and before I knew it, I had a table full of presents.

I keep going to my plaid "well".  I'm afraid that one of these days the well is going to run dry.

These little presents are so much fun to make.

I'm machine appliqueing the bows to the background using a buttonhole stitch.  I always thread my bobbin thread through the bobbin hook when I buttonhole stitch.  Some machine have it, some don't.  It changes the tension just enough to create a nicer stitch.  (If my machine wasn't packed, I'd show you a picture of it.)

The plaids, polka dots and stripes are so festive together.

It all works.  Pairing the fabrics up for this runner is so much fun that I just want to keep making more and more!

It's not too late to start your own Holiday Treats Tablerunner by Laura Nownes.  The shop also has the pattern available if you are interested in ordering one......maybe for next year?

There is going to be a break in our stormy California weather long enough for us to drive back to the Bay Area this morning without getting pelted with rain.  Decorating will begin in earnest the minute I get home.  It usually takes me three to four days to get the house decorated for Christmas and only half a day to put everything away.  Why is that?

Enjoy your weekend everyone.  I'm sure all of you will be in full Christmas mode, making, baking, decorating and quilting.    

Soon,
Lynn

Input Needed

 

Hello Everyone,

 

Just when I thought I was finished with all of the blocks........

 

......only a few more pinwheels to make..........
......put on a border.........
......finished......right?.......WRONG!

If I continue with this quilt, just as it is and add a border, the finished size will be 74" x 74" approximately.

If I add another row of baskets and Ohio Star blocks, the finished size will be approximately 92" x 74".  More of a bed-sized quilt.

My flimsy finish date is Dec. 9th for the Preview Party at The Purple Orchid.  I could just add the pinwheels on the right side and stop production until after Christmas.  I'm not teaching this until March.....plenty of time to finish.  Gail, I need to have my sister Gail select the fabric sets for 16 more baskets!  While Gail selects, I'll cut and sew and together maybe we could make this happen!

What are your thoughts?  Is bigger better?  Is square better?  I'm usually very decisive, but this quilt has me waffling.  I'm definitely leaning to the larger size, but I will certainly entertain any brilliant ideas from blogland!  (I just did a spell check and the word bludgeoned came up for blogland....not even close!)

That's all for now, I have to go make some pinwheels!

Soon,
An Indecisive Lynn

A Tisket A Tasket

 

Hello Everyone,

 

Just one more basket to go!  It has been fun pairing the fabrics for these little 5-1/2" cuties. I'm not making them too matchy-matchy.

 

The frames go on quickly and they really highlight the basket.  I can just see the crosshatching now in the larger open area.

This basket needs the frame, then it can be added to the mix.  This is the sum total of my quilting yesterday. 

We drove up to the cabin to ride out the storms, yes storms.  While listening to the radio on the way up the mountain, the weatherman said California is going to have 'biblical' rainfall amounts.  That got my attention.  We stacked firewood on the porch, and went to the grocery store so we are good for the duration.  The sky is pink this morning.....red skies at morning, sailors take warning!  I'm going to set my sails for waves of quilting, with an occasional meal in the galley.

Soon,
Lynn